System and method for squadron communication exchange between receiving devices

ABSTRACT

A method and system for communication protocol pass reduction amongst recipient nodes capable of receiving broadcast messages, the recipient nodes functioning as different decisions points for determination of a passing joint set of nodes for squadron communication therebetween. The method and system provide squadron communication between different ones of the recipient nodes, wherein one of the recipient nodes becomes a squadron leader node upon a selection of a specific broadcast message for distribution to other recipient nodes for acceptance. The squadron leader node and the other recipient nodes upon acceptance form the passing joint set of nodes for squadron communication therebetween.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Ser. No.16/044,547, filed Jul. 25, 2018, which claimed priority to provisionalU.S. Ser. No. 62/537,320, filed Jul. 26, 2017, titled SYSTEM AND METHODFOR SQUADRON COMMUNICATION EXCHANGE BETWEEN RECEIVING DEVICES, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of Invention

The invention relates to a system and computerized method forcommunication exchange between mobile devices whereby a primary mobiledevice leverages social networks to provide real time informationexchange to other or secondary mobile devices.

Discussion of the Background

Presently, there are known systems for creating and distributinginformation to groups of people who are both considered likely and/orunlikely to respond to the information received.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,325,563 (the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference) describes method for exchanging overlay tunnelinformation includes receiving an information exchange packet, at afirst end point station, from each end point station in a virtualnetwork having a specified virtual network identifier (VNID); andprocessing each received information exchange packet to retrieveinformation about connections at each end point station in the virtualnetwork having the specified VNID.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,200,770 (the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference) describes mining human capital information bydefining one or more attributes of a communication group, extracting atarget group by searching one or more of explicit and implicit datasources according to the defined attributes, communicating with theextracted target group, logging at least some of the communications, andanalyzing the logged communications

U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,161 (the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference) describes a system and method for providing ondemand information exchange between a data store and a portablerecipient data storage device which includes a source of data and a datatransfer initiator, coupled to the source of data and configured forinitiating the transfer of data from the source of data to a portablerecipient data storage device. A data transfer port was provided tocouple the data source with the portable recipient data storage device,and configured for transmitting, on request by the recipient, data fromthe source of data to the portable recipient data storage device.

U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2014/0279040 (the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference) describes that a restaurant can createa promotional offer for groups comprised of both women and men byoffering the women in the group a free food item with the expectationthat the drinks purchased by the men in the group would more than offsetthe loss on the food. The '040 application describes that, if apromotional offer is targeted at and offered to groups with the desiredgroup composition, the probability of its being effective increases asthe group composition the promotional offer was structured for isspecifically targeted.

U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2014/0164094 (the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference) describes techniques for facilitatingtargeted discounts in which a request to distribute a promotional offeris received from a merchant. The promotional offer in the '094application may be at least partially preconfigured, is maintained atthe deal service, and may indicate an item (e.g., a product and/orservice) offered by the merchant.

U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2015/0332334 (the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference) describes a clustering engineconfigured to identify and create a group of users having a relatedinterest, an offers matching component configured to match a group offerto the group of users, a group services component configured tocommunicate the group offer to the group of users, and at least onehardware microprocessor configured to execute computer-executableinstructions in a memory associated with the clustering engine, theoffers matching component, and the group services component.

U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2015/0106183 (the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference) describes a system and method toprovide customized coupons, the method including: receiving, by a userterminal used by a requesting user, radio-frequency (RF) signalscontaining information usable to determine position, determining alocation of the user terminal from the RF signals, determiningparticipating merchants within a configurable distance threshold of thelocation of the user terminal, retrieving a coupon template from adatabase, where the coupon template identifies business-relatedboundaries of an offer from a participating merchant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, there is provided a computerized method forcommunication protocol pass reduction amongst nodes comprising differentdecisions points to determine a passing joint set of nodes for squadroncommunication therebetween, where a multiplicity of solution sets isvalid. The method comprises providing squadron communication betweendifferent recipient nodes, wherein one of the recipient nodes becomes asquadron leader node upon a selection of a specific broadcast messagefor distribution to other recipient nodes for acceptance; and thesquadron leader node and the other recipient nodes upon acceptance formthe passing joint set of nodes for squadron communication therebetween.

In one embodiment, there is provided a system to provide directedcommunication exchange between mobile receiving devices of a squadronincluding a squadron leader and one or more squadron members. The systemhas at least a coordinating server in communication with the mobilereceiving devices. The coordinating server programmed to: receive afirst data stream including a broadcast message, transmit a second datastream including a list of announcements to a first mobile receivingdevice belonging to a squadron leader, receive a third data stream fromthe first mobile receiving device including a selected announcementwhich was selected by the squadron leader on a display of the firstmobile receiving device, transmit in a fourth data stream the selectedannouncement to a second mobile receiving device of a potential memberfor the squadron; receive a fifth data stream from the second mobilereceiving device indicative of the potential member comprising asquadron member, determine that the squadron leader and the one or moresquadron members are within a boundary of an enterprise associated withthe selected announcement, and transmit in a sixth data stream averification that the squadron is at the enterprise.

In one embodiment, there is provided a computerized method whichreceives a first data stream including a broadcast message, transmits asecond data stream including a list of announcements to a first mobilereceiving device belonging to a squadron leader, receives a third datastream from the first mobile receiving device including a selectedannouncement which was selected by the squadron leader on a display ofthe first mobile receiving device, transmits in a fourth data stream theselected announcement to a second mobile receiving device of a potentialmember for the squadron; receives a fifth data stream from the secondmobile receiving device indicative of the potential member comprising asquadron member determines that the squadron leader and the one or moresquadron members are within a boundary of an enterprise associated withthe selected announcement, and transmits in a sixth data stream averification that the squadron is at the enterprise.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description ofthe invention and the following detailed description are exemplary, butare not restrictive of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a system schematic of a squadron communication systemaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting the operation of a squadron programaccording to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic depicting different proximity determinationsutilized in the squadron program according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart depicting a create deal schematicalgorithm;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart depicting a review deal schematicalgorithm;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart depicting a create squad schematicalgorithm;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart depicting an accept squad requestschematic algorithm;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart depicting a reject squad schematicalgorithm;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart depicting a check in schematicalgorithm;

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart depicting a redeem schematic algorithm;

FIG. 11 is a schematic depicting a special purpose computing deviceaccording to the invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic depiction of a prior art mass mailing diagram;and

FIG. 13 is a schematic depiction of target success rate of oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the works described above and in other similar informationcommunication systems, steps on the user side and on the enterprise sidegenerating the information for communication were tedious and prone toerrors. Moreover, users who typically were already inundated withpromotions and other information became desensitized and unwilling toaccept any more promotions.

The invention sets forth a system, a computerized method, and acommunication exchange program (computer readable medium), hereinafterreferred to as the squadron communication exchange program forcommunication exchange between mobile devices. Squadron communicationbetween different recipient nodes involves one of the recipient nodesbecoming a squadron leader node. In one embodiment, the squadron leadernode is a receiving device operated by a user. In other embodiments, thesquadron leader node is a computerized entity at a node programmed to bein communication with a coordinating server. Upon a selection of aspecific broadcast message by the squadron leader node, a broadcastmessage is distributed to other recipient nodes. In one embodiment ofthe invention, the squadron leader node and the other recipient nodesupon acceptance (for example acceptance of an incentive), or uponacceptance into a cooperative, form a passing joint set of nodes forsquadron communication therebetween.

In one embodiment, the communication exchange involves the communicationof couponing of vendor offered deals/discounts to the secondary mobiledevices. In another embodiment, the information exchange is directed tojob-related data exchanged with secondary mobile devices associated withan industrial project and the server is a work-place server. In anotherembodiment, the information exchange is directed to job-related dataexchanged with secondary mobile devices on job sites and the server is awork-place server. In another embodiment, the information exchange isdirected to weather-related data exchange with secondary mobile deviceswithin a proximity of the primary device and the server is a radarserver. In another embodiment, the information exchange is directed toweather-related data exchange with secondary mobile devices within aproximity of a national park. In another embodiment, the informationexchange is directed to sports-related data exchange with secondarymobile devices within a proximity of the primary device (for exampleinside a football arena, a soccer field, a basketball arena, a race carsport complex, etc., and the server is a sport-broadcasting server.

In another embodiment, the information exchange is directed to exchangesof communication concerning businesses attempting to load-level itsaffairs by announcing deals to entice customers as a group to come tothe place of business within prescribed time periods and at a prescribednumber to redeem the deals. In another embodiment, the informationexchange is directed to exchanges of communication concerning businessesattempting to load-level its affairs by announcing offers to enticeservice providers as a group to come to the place of business withinprescribed time periods and at a prescribed number to accept the offers.In another embodiment, the information exchange is directed to theexchange of information between transportation providers incentivizingthe transportation providers to utilize a transportation route which isbeing presently or which has historically been underutilized.

Accordingly, in another embodiment of the invention, the squadron leadercan be a computerized entity at a physical node of a distributed set ofnodes, such as for example substations in an electric utility grid orpumping stations in a pipeline grid. The squadron leader in this exampleis in communication via a coordinating server with other substations (orpumping nodes) and aware of local conditions which can affect thedistribution of product. A utility provider can be an enterprisebroadcasting announcements or communications across the distributionnetwork related to power alerts, power reductions, and/or incentives toreduce power consumption.

For example, 10 kV transformers are typical at substations and have amaximum load before overloading and potential explosions. Beforeelectric vehicles, the load of a house was consistent and the load of4-6 houses could be shared on one 10 kv transformer With the advent ofelectric vehicles, an electric vehicle when being charged can offer anadditional load equivalent to the entire home. A 10 kV transformer canwithstand one such added load but it's not designed for 5 added loadsthe equivalent of 10 homes on one transformer. Since homes have theirmax loads during the day, at night there is reduced load and thereforespare capacity. Hence, the utility can incentivize electric car ownersby discounting cost of per KWH.

In one embodiment of the invention, the substation entity can act as asquad leader and offer to the 4-6 homes sharing a transformer a slot oftime at night to charge at a discounted rate, where the discounted rateis a deal provided by the utility company. The households (or theircars) are invited to join the squad. The electric meter or electronicsin the car, can accept the time slot, and the substation can alert theutility that the load will be presented in those times slots. Theutility can require a minimum number of households or cars within thesubstation's service area to accept the time slots before authorizingthe discount.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the invention, a squadron leaderoperating a primary mobile device (downloaded with or pre-programmed atthe factory with the above-noted squadron communication exchangeprogram) can leverage for example the power of social networking toencourage a group of friends (utilizing for example the secondary mobiledevices) to take a deal/discount from a vendor that the squadron leaderhas knowledge of. The user of the primary mobile device can add his/hercomments to the exchanged information so the user of the secondarymobile devices can access both the deal/discounts along with thesquadron leader's comments. Meanwhile, a vendor utilizing the system ofthe invention through at least the internet is able to verify by the useof location services on the primary mobile device and the secondarymobile devices that a group (a squadron) including the users of theprimary mobile device and the secondary mobile devices have arrived at apoint of purchase (POP) at a preselected time.

While not limited to the discussion below, the discussion belowillustrates the capability of social networking (or the distribution ofknowledge known to a particular node to other recipients) to enhance theeffectiveness of the squadron communication. Take for example the worldof mass mailing and advertisement shown in FIG. 12.

Thus, the “expected” target success rate of reaching a recipient whointends to take the offer is only 7.5/25000 or 0.03%. Meanwhile, theexpected target success rate is substantially higher in the squadroncommunication of the invention as shown in FIG. 13 which starts with thesame population of 25,000 people.

Thus, the “expected” target success rate of reaching a recipient whointends to take the offer using squadron communication is only 237/25000or 0.95%.

In another embodiment of the invention, the squadron leader operating areceiving device (downloaded with or pre-programmed at the factory withthe above-noted communication exchange program) can act as above exceptthat, in this internet shopping example, the social networking effectencourages the squadron members to accept the deal of the leader (forexample based on the leader's knowledge of a company's products), andthe deal is redeemed only when each of the squadron members havesupplied credit card information to the enterprise sponsoring the deal.

In another embodiment of the invention, the squadron leader operatingthe primary mobile device (downloaded with or pre-programmed at thefactory with the above-noted communication exchange program) can havedistributed for example the latest set of approved building plans fromhis company's server to a group of co-workers (utilizing the secondarymobile devices) in the time frame and order that the SQUADRON leaderconsiders best. The squadron leader can supply comments to the buildingplans which he/she consider appropriate for completing the job.Meanwhile, the company's server can verify the distribution of the plansto the job-site workers utilizing the system's location services toverify that the secondary mobile devices have received the buildingplans and replied.

In another embodiment of the invention, the squadron leader operatingthe primary mobile device (downloaded with or pre-programmed at thefactory with the above-noted squadron communication exchange Internetprogram) can have distributed for example sports related information toa group of friends or associates (utilizing the secondary mobiledevices) permitting the squadron leader and others to know the latest onfor example injury reports or the results of other games. Sportingevents including especially automobile racing events as well as manyjob-sites have such high background noise levels that the communicationand sharing of news or other information is difficult audibly.

In another embodiment of the invention, the squadron leader operatingthe primary mobile device (downloaded with or pre-programmed at thefactory with the above-noted squadron communication exchange Internetprogram) can have distributed for example weather related information toa group of associates or friends (utilizing the secondary mobiledevices) alerts on changing weather conditions with the squadron leaderproviding comments such as specific directions which should beundertaken by one or all of the secondary user devices.

From a technological point of view, the squadron process of theinvention enhances the probability of an announcement (e.g., of apromotion, deal, news event, alert, etc,) reaches a targeted audiencethat is likely to respond to the announcement. In today's world,traditional approaches to distribute information depend on a genericbroadcast of the information across the internet with a low probabilitythat it reaches a targeted audience and an even lower probability thatthe targeted audience will respond. The squadron leader represents aparadigm shift in targeted communication. The squadron leader sits atthe hub of the decision tree process directing selected announcements tothose that the squadron leader views as likely to respond favorably forexample because of a known common interest. The recipients of theselected announcements (selected by the squadron leader) are far morelikely to respond favorably to the selected announcements than anaverage person receiving the same announcement because of for examplethe common interest or purely because of the perceived recommendation(or in some cases command) of the squadron leader. For these reasons,the technological steps required to secure bona fide recipients whorespond to the announcements are reduced, and the efficiency ofannouncement (or communication exchange) is increased over present webbased distribution systems.

Real Time Operation

A user signs up for the squadron communication exchange program bydownloading the program and entering in his/her cell phone number orotherwise providing some other unique identifier such as a username (andpassword) from another web program. The web server supporting thesquadron communication exchange program will create an account for theuser and allow the user of the master or primary mobile device to inviteand connect with others such as friends, family, coworkers, associates,or subordinates. The invitations can be generated form a contact list ofthe user's phone and sent out. In general, the invitations can be sentto anyone selected by the SQUADRON leader who has a working cell phonenumber.

The squadron communication exchange program in one embodiment of theinvention can function as a social media application which hosts a listof deals provided by businesses participating in this Internetcommunication service. Such businesses may include restaurants and bars,sporting complexes, construction companies, national parks, national andlocal radar providers, national and local news providers, etc.

In one embodiment of the invention, the squadron communication exchangeprogram provides the master or primary mobile device the capability forlogged-in user to display thereon a deal page, which serves as a homepage for the mobile device installed application. The primary mobiledevice upon a user login (or within a programmed time delay) connects tothe coordinating server having stored thereon information regardingbusinesses or enterprises sponsoring promotion(s) or otherwisebroadcasting announcements. These announcements can be “active” dealsthat are ready to be redeemed by businesses such as restaurants andbars. These announcements can be weather or news alerts. Theseannouncements can be information on parking or exiting a sportingcomplex. These announcements can be construction orders or changes inconstruction orders.

In one embodiment of the invention, the squadron communication exchangeprogram provides the master or primary mobile device the capability tofilter the announcements to where only announcements are posted on thedeal or home page of the master or primary mobile device which come frombusinesses with a given proximity to the master or primary mobiledevice. For example, the user of the master or primary mobile device inthe context of business couponing will initially be shown on the dealpage announcements for coupons from businesses having deals that are theclosest to the primary mobile device. The installed program permits auser to filter deals by many other methods such as size, price, categoryof the establishment, type of cuisine or bar. The installed program canpermit a user of the master or primary mobile device to filter dealsthat are popular or about to expire. The installed program can permit auser of the master or primary mobile device to identify favorites amongthose businesses participating. This will give those businesses priorityon the master or primary mobile device's home or deal Page, as well assend the user a notification whenever that business establishment has adeal that goes live (providing the user has agreed to acceptnotifications). A push notification can be used. A push notification isthe delivery of information from a software application to a computingdevice without a specific request from the user.

In another example, the user of the master or primary mobile device inthe context of attending a sporting event will initially be shown on thehome page announcements for events ongoing at the sporting complex.Since it is common for one sporting complex to located close to anothersporting complex, the closest complex represents the event beingattended. Announcements about that sporting complex or the teams playingin the attended event will provided to the home or deal page of themaster or primary mobile device. The installed squadron program canpermit a user of the master or primary mobile device to filterannouncements to only those in the sporting complex attended, or to onlythose in the neighboring complex. For instance, while watching afall-time football game, the user of master or primary mobile device maywant to know details of a baseball game being played at the same timeacross town, across the country, or nearby. The installed squadronprogram can permit a user of the master or primary mobile device tofilter and provide only those pertinent to one game or another tofriends or colleagues who have been selected by the user of the mastermobile device.

In the sporting complex example above, an initiating user of thesquadron communication exchange program may find the ESPN has a web pageposting statistics of the players during the game. The user activatesthe squadron communication exchange program on his/her mobile device.Once activated, the user invites friends who are at the game or awayfrom the game to join in the squadron session. Those of the inviteesthat accept and join in the squadron session are sent information whichthe initiating user selected from the ESPN web page. By having thedata/information from the ESPN web page in a user-selectable format, theinitiating user can readily select and send specific contents of theESPN web page to the others joining the squadron session.

In one embodiment of the invention, the squadron communication exchangeprogram counts the amount of information shared with the users from theESPN web page. The ESPN web page provider may stipulate that use oftheir web page data comes with a condition that one or more of theassociated advertisements are provided to the squad. In this way, theESPN web page provider benefits from a large number for the squadronsize.

In another example, the user of the master or primary mobile device inthe context of a building construction will initially be shown on thehome page announcements for changes to plans on the fifth floor of abuilding renovation. Announcements can be provided to the home or dealpage of the master mobile device for the fifth floor, and laterdisplayed for a different floor when the user of the master mobiledevice travels to another floor. The installed squadron program canpermit a user of the master or primary mobile device to filter andprovide only those pertinent to the fifth floor to workers on the fifthfloor.

In one embodiment of the invention, the communication exchange programdownloads from the business server deals, promotions, locations of thedeals or promotions, phone numbers for contact and verification, andother pertinent information such as the above-noted news, sports, andweather information. A user of the master mobile device seeing anannouncement of a deal on the home or deal page of the master mobiledevice can choose to share the deal with their friends or coworkers orassociates. The deal may offer a discount, special item, free item, orany other means of advertising that would entice a person to visit theirestablishment. The deals may require a certain number of people to visitthe business at its physical location for a deal to be redeemed, thisnumber referred to hereinafter as the squadron size. The squadron sizecan range from two users to over ten. The squadron size for redemptionof the offer is up to the establishment providing the deal.

When a user initiates the squadron communication exchange program ontheir mobile device, upon opening the application or performing anyaction that requires data or communication to a server, in oneembodiment of the invention, the squadron communication exchange programissues a request to the squadron coordinating server (e.g., a backend inAmazon Web Services). For example, for the deals page showing theavailable deals to the user on their mobile receiving device, the userselects certain filters on his/her mobile device and those selectionsare sent to the coordinating server. Deals are returned that match thosefilters and other criteria the coordinating server has stored. The usercan the select one of those deals and go through the squadcreation/redemption process (which is elaborated on below). In thecoordinating server, the deals are stored in the database and associatedwith their respective businesses. Squads are associated with theirrespective deals.

Then, the squadron communication exchange program executes in oneembodiment an algorithm which runs on the backend infrastructures. Anexample of the backend infrastructure could be Amazon Web Services EC2instance or Lambda function. This is a typical computer server capableof executing code in a programming language such as Java or Node.JsBackend infrastructure means servers that are either self-hosted orhosted by third parties. Common third parties are Amazon Web Services,Google Cloud Platform, etc. The executed algorithm returns deal(s) tothe initiating user's mobile phone. The initiating user on his/hermobile device selects a deal and then selects other potential squadronusers from their contacts and creates the squadron group. Afterwards, inone embodiment of the invention. each invited user must accept to be apart of the squadron. The squadron coordinating server validates thedata and confirms the squadron users. The squadron communicationexchange program programs the mobile devices to be in communication withthe SQUADRON coordinating server. Once all squadron users are within acertain radius (proximity) of the location of the business sponsoringthe deal/promotion, then the initiating user's mobile phone or thesquadron coordinating server validates that all users are there, andthen the initiating user is allowed to redeem the deal.

Accordingly, the initiating user after activation of the squadroncommunication exchange program on his/her mobile device, invites othersto join in a squadron session where those invitees will be able to seeinformation about the deals/promotions. Those of the invitees thataccept and join in the squadron session are sent information which theinitiating user selected from the business's web server.

Accordingly, the user of the primary or master mobile device (i.e., thesquadron leader) is able with the squadron communication exchangeprogram to invite contacts (e.g., from their friends or contacts list).The squadron communication exchange program sends message in apredetermined format to the contacts permitting the contacts to respondby accepting (on their mobile devices) and downloading the squadroncommunication exchange program if it is not already installed. Thesquadron communication exchange program provides the implementation forthe protocol for communication between the user and the coordinatingserver. Those people contacted can, by using their mobile devices as thesecondary mobile devices, accept the invitation or decline it.

Once the required number of members have accepted the invitation, thepromotion is considered full, and the master or primary mobile devicewill re-establish communication with the coordinating server. Thecoordinating server can confirm acceptance of the promotion and/or thatthe user and the confirmed contacts (hereinafter referred to as “thesquadron”) will visit the business establishment to redeem theaccompanying deal. For example:

-   -   Pizza place has half off pizza for SQUADRON of 4. SQUADRON        leader invites three friends and they all accept. This SQUADRON        is ready to visit the Pizza restaurant.

In one embodiment of the invention, members of the squadron visit thebusiness establishment offering the promotion in order to be able toredeem the promotion. Once all of the squadron members arrive at theestablishment, the members open the squadron application on their mobiledevices to “check-in” to the location. The squadron communicationexchange program uses location services, and checks which members of thesquadron are at the location. The squadron communication exchangeprogram then permits communication from the coordinating server to thebusiness server to receive confirmation that the required squadron sizeis present and that the promotion is redeemable. The squadroncommunication exchange program can have the coordinating server supplyone or more of a phone number, a link to the businesses website, and/ora Google Maps address to the users to assist in finding the location ofthe business sponsoring the promotion. In one embodiment of theinvention, once everyone in the squadron has checked in, the deal offerwill go from its dormant stage to its ready to redeem stage.

In one embodiment of the invention, the squadron communication exchangeprogram sets a redeem button on the home page. Then, the squadron leadercan hit the redeem button and show the promotion/deal to whoever isserving the squadron at the establishment, thereby redeeming the deal.In one embodiment of the invention, the squadron communication exchangeprogram provides a countdown timer will follow the push of the redeembutton, so that a squadron cannot try to redeem the same deal multipletimes.

While the processing at the mobile devices uses communication with abusiness server or a squadron coordinating server, in a preferredembodiment, the computing/processing of the offer selections, recipientinvitations, recipient acceptance, deal redemption, proximity of usersto business, and counting of those in the squadron is performed byservers outside of the business or outside that of a single entityoperating the squadron mobile application.

In other embodiments of the invention, outside of the mobile devices, anofferor enters information describing an offer or a promotion in adatabase accessible to the users of the squadron communication exchangeprogram or the squadron coordinating server (CS). Outside of the mobiledevices, a coordinator using for example the squadron coordinatingserver can review and approve or reject the proposed offer. Outside ofthe mobile devices, the CS routes offer(s) to identified recipientsbased on and sorted by their preferences. The Recipient using theirreceiving device (RD) e.g., their mobile phone serving a personalcomputing device (PCD) can choose offering from a multiplicity ofoffers. The Recipient using the input means of the PCD to optionallyaccept the offering and promote it to other squadron members who are inthe Recipient's contact list. The squadron coordinating server or adevice at the point of sale can collect proximity information from RDs(or the RDs may communicate with one another) and calculates theirdistance to the business offering the promotion.

If proximity information indicates that the minimum number of recipientsrequired to make an offer bona fide are in proximity to the offerorwithin a certain time period and have all accepted the offer, then theCS enables the redemption of the offer by the recipient(s). Recipient(by way of the PCD and/or the CS) is provided with code/redemptioninstruction/bar code or RF communication to offeror, and recipientreceives incentive/discount of offering.

SQUADRON Implementation Attributes

-   -   1) Offeror (e.g. Offeror's business: bar, restaurant, movie,        etc.) enters info into an offer database (OD) describing the        offering:        -   Description of offering (e.g. hamburger)        -   Economics of offering (e.g. ½ off regular price)        -   Location of offering vendor code            -   (street address, latitude/longitude or any method                suitable for use with PCD “location services”        -   Time and date of offering        -   Minimum number of recipients accepting offer for a “bona            fide” offer that is redeemable.    -   2) The contents/offers are transferred from the offeror's device        to the squadron coordinating server using communication means        such as the internet    -   3) The squadron coordinating server routes offers to identified        recipients, for example those who have shown preference and who        are geographically local to the business or promotional offeror        (e.g. using communication means to push the offer to an        identified multiplicity of recipient devices). The squadron        application measures proximity to validate redemption of the        offer. More specifically, the SQUADRON application can measure        the proximity relative to the point of purchase to validate        redemption. While arbitrary, in one example, the proximity        criteria is set at approximately 150 meters. The squadron        coordinating server or a device at the point of sale can be used        to collect proximity information from RD's (or the RD's may        communication with one another) by using at least one of (GPS,        WiFi, BLUETOOTH™, cell tower information, or smart phone        location services). If the proximity information indicates that        a minimum number of recipients required to make an offer bona        fide are in proximity to offeror, then the squadron CS enables        the redemption of the offer by the recipients. The corresponding        user mobile or receiving devices (e.g., the mobile device of the        squadron leader) can display a code or a time counter. In one        embodiment of the invention, “accepted” means all members have        agreed to be a part of a squad; “checked in” means that a user        has accepted a squad invite, has arrived at the location within        the specified time, and (in the case our specific        implementation) pressed a button which triggers the location        check which confirmed they were within some defined proximity of        the business; and “redeemed” means that all users are within the        defined proximity and the squad leader has (in the case of our        specific implementation) pressed a button which “redeems” the        deal which then displays the timer/code. Additionally or        alternatively, the squadron CS can communicate this information        electronically to the offeror. Optionally, the proximity        information is collected every time that the RD is activated.    -   4) The squadron user's mobile or receiving device optionally        displaying the offer and making a tone alert if offeror is on        recipient's preferred list (e.g. “Favorite”). Specifically, a        push notification can be sent if a business posts a deal and the        user has favorited that business, and the user has left        notifications enable for that business and the businesses have        notification enabled.    -   5) The squadron user is able to use their mobile or receiving        device to “shop” for offerings from a multiplicity of offers        based on a set of filters such as price tier, distance, food        type, squadron size etc.    -   6) The squadron user can optionally accept the offering and        select other recipients to be notified of recipient's        acceptance, and preferred time and date to receive offering;        where another recipient list includes one or more names, phone        numbers, user IDs, in a pre-compiled list of preferred        recipients (eg “Friends list”, there can be more than one group        of friends identified by Recipient in Recipient RD). The        recipient's acceptance and other details are transferred by        communication means to the squadron CS, the CS transfers the        acceptance and other details to a multiplicity of mobile or        receiving devices associated with the preferred recipient list.    -   7) Optionally, the first recipient to accept a deal becomes the        “squadron leader” who then promotes the deal with their contact        list of friends. The squadron leader can send a custom message        (e.g. “Lets meet at Joe's at 7:30 PM Tuesday”) even outside of        the squadron application.    -   8) Optionally, the squadron leader and/or other recipients        receives “points” that can be used to redeem prizes.    -   9) When the minimum number of recipients accepts offer, the        offer goes into “pending” state, and optionally the CS may send        this information to the OD to notify offeror of potential demand        (take rate).    -   9) CS provides code/redemption instruction/bar code or RF        communication from offeror to the squadron user. The CS can        provide to the squadron users incentive/discount offerings. The        discount code may be compatible with existing Point Of        Sales/Point of Purchase terminals.    -   10) With the squadron application, the offer is originally        created by the business/offeror and not by the mobile user.        squadron users can get a push notification when their favorite        business posts a deal. Deals may also be “pushed” to the user        based on their preferences.    -   11) In one embodiment of the invention, with the squadron        application, the coordinating server initially routes offers to        the recipients. The recipients may get every offer available in        the system sorted by distance from their location. The offers        provided to the recipient could also be based on expiration        date, pricing tier, etc. In general, filtering can help        eliminate an incompatible result from the CS, while sorting will        simply put the less favorable results at the bottom of the list        and bring the ones with highest match to the top Regardless, the        recipients can choose to limit those offers by a variety of        filters such as pricing tier, date, squadron size, food        category, etc. and the server will then only re-send offers that        match their criteria.    -   12) In one embodiment of the invention, with the squadron        application, no single user can accept the offer on behalf of        the group without the prior acceptance of each member of the        group. In this embodiment, the squadron application does not        allow a single member of group to accept on behalf of the group.        Indeed, one purpose of the squadron application is to leverage        the social media aspect of networking: any member of the group        can promote an offer to other members of the group, those        members act independently to accept the offer which increases        their commitment and chance of the recipients showing up to        receive the offer/    -   13) In one embodiment of the invention, accepting an offer        simply means electing to promote/distribute it to others in        order to build a squad.    -   14) In one embodiment of the invention, with the squadron        application, a merchant version of the application would allow        for “soft-copy” deal redemption via scanning or other        notification methods. In this embodiment, a merchant would have        a device to scan a code shown on the customer's device. The        offer will then have verified the presence of the customer in        the merchant's facility. In this embodiment, other information        used for payment could be supplied through the squadron backend        services;    -   15) In one embodiment of the invention, with the squadron        application, the squadron application performs the step of        determining if the terms of a promotion have been met.    -   16) The CS may optionally provide to the offeror actuarial data        such at duration of recipients stay in proximity to the offeror,        or demographic such as recipients age, sex, marital status or        employment status.    -   17) In one option, a business can set a start time and end time        for redemption. In other words, the deal can only be used within        a designated time (e.g., a short time of 1 to 2 days) after        being redeemed.    -   18) In one option, a business can override a squad's number        requirement if one of the squadron members fails to show up. In        this embodiment, the business will be provided with a code,        known only to the business sponsoring the deal/promotion, which        allows the deal to be changed from the dormant stage to the        active stage, without every member of the squadron having to        check into the location.    -   19) In one option, a newsfeed page known as a “squadron Buzz”        page allows users to see what deals their friends are redeeming        and other news that the squadron coordinating server may find        interesting to share.    -   20) In one option, the users of the Squadron application and the        participating businesses both receive a point based reward for        every deal redeemed. A business can use these points to earn        themselves free hours of time on the squadron coordinating        server.

Generalized Squadron Communication

In one embodiment, the squadron communication exchange program programsa master or primary mobile device or a coordinating server to:

-   -   1) receive communication information at a coordinating server;    -   2) format the communication information received in a format for        user selection on the master or primary mobile device;    -   3) store selected information selected by the user of the master        or primary mobile device;    -   4) identify secondary recipients for sharing the selected        information with;    -   5) optionally, invite the secondary recipients to accept        communication regarding the selected information; and    -   6) provide at least one of the secondary recipients the selected        information for their acceptance.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the invention, there is provided amethod of efficient communication exchange to electronically verifyconsensus on a proximally and temporally constrained solution space. Thesystem implementing the method includes a multiplicity of mobile devicesprogrammed with a communication exchange program to receivecommunication information from a coordinating server, and a mastermobile device programmed to (within an execution of the communicationexchange program): display the information received from thecoordinating server in a format for user selection on the master mobiledevice, identify user selection of selected information from thecommunication information, store the selected information, and identifysecondary recipients for sharing the selected information with. Thecoordinating server sends the secondary recipients an invitation toaccept communication regarding the selected information. The systemfurther comprises at least one secondary mobile device associated withone of the secondary recipients and configured to receive a part or allof the selected information. Consensus confirmation is accomplished inone example when the master and the secondarily invited mobile devicesbecome physically present within a specific distance from a geographiclocation set by the coordinating server. Consensus confirmation isaccomplished in another example when the coordinating server recognizesthat the master mobile device and a predetermined number (greater thanor equal to 1) of the secondarily invited mobile devices respondpositively to the selected information.

In a more generalized embodiment of the invention, there is provided amethod and system for communication protocol pass reduction amongstnodes (different decisions points), to discover a passing joint set ofnodes, where a multiplicity of sets solutions are valid. The method andsystem in this embodiment, provide communication between differentannouncement or offer-providing nodes and different recipient nodes. Oneof the recipient nodes becomes a leader node upon selecting one of theannouncement or offers (that is selecting one “offer node” amongst thedifferent announcement or offer-providing nodes) for distribution toother nodes (other recipients). The distribution of the other nodesconstitutes a specific referral node. The group of nodes that acceptparticipation with respect to the leader-selected offer node define ajoint nodal set amongst a multiplicity of solution sets which would bevalid. The node tree includes:

-   -   a. MANY OFFER NODES    -   b. MANY Recipient NODES    -   c. ONE Recipient becomes the Leader node    -   d. One OFFER NODE is selected    -   e. MANY Referral Nodes

Accordingly, the invention provides for an efficient way to distributeand provide information to a set of nodes with a higher probability thatfavorable decisions points will be reached than without theestablishment of a node leader.

System Implementation

Detailed below are systems and algorithms used by the squadron system toimplement the various actions and functions noted above. Thesealgorithms can be stored and executed in one of more of the specialpurpose computing devices discussed below in relation to FIG. 11.

In the system schematic of FIG. 1, at A, the offeror device is acomputer or processor associated with the business (located at thebusiness or enterprise or located elsewhere). For example, the offerordevice could be a business's server, or a computer at a point of sale(POS), or an offeror's personal device e.g., an iPad (OD). At B,communication means operate using internet protocols for datacommunication from one device to another. At C, the coordinating server(CS) can be the overall squadron backend services running on athird-party provider such as for example Amazon Web Services (AWS).Backend services are those services not performed on the squadron user'smobile or receiving devices. At D, communication means once againoperate using internet protocols for data communication from one deviceto another.

At E, a multiplicity of recipient devices (RD) which are personalcommunications devices (PCD) that include a portable display, inputmeans, communication means, location functions such as GPS, BluetoothProximity, WiFi proximity, Cell Tower ID & SNR, Smartphone locationservices, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, in the coordinating server (CS) arestored and tagged

-   -   (F) Offer State 1: offer pending—This means the offer is        available on the squadron app and can be promoted by any user to        their contacts. In one embodiment of the invention, the        offers/deals which are pending are not necessarily related to        the deals being actually redeemed at for example the point of        sale. The pending offer states here are: in-review, approved,        and rejected, and are solely for the purpose of deciding whether        a deal a business submitted should be allowed on the application        or not.    -   (G) Offer State 2: Offer Accepted—This means that all members of        a squadron have accepted to participate in an offer.    -   (H) Offer State 3: Offering Redeemed—This means that all members        of the squadron have physically appeared at the Merchant/Offeror        location and that the Squadron Leader has pressed the redeem        button on their PCD. This will start a timer that one of the        squadron members shows to the offeror staff to verify and        complete the redemption.    -   (I) Offer State 4: Time Expired—This means that the offer time        has lapsed and no SQUADRON member is allowed to promote it to        their contacts. Once an offer is expired it will not be able to        be redeemed anymore.

Two other states can be utilized: a rejected state and a checked instate.

The rejected state is when a squad member or leader rejects a dealinvite. This state could result in the whole squad being rejected, yetallowing any of the squadron members to re-create a squad with thisdeal. This state could result in the case that if one or more membersrejects, the rejected members can be replaced with other people.

The checked in state means that, in one embodiment, a squad member hasarrived at the location of the deal that has been accepted andexplicitly checked in. In this embodiment, all squad members except forthe leader must have explicitly checked in before the leader can redeema deal. In one embodiment, the checking in could be done with the usersimply opening the application on their phone or scanning a QR code ortapping their phone to an NFC tag or taking their phone near a Bluetoothbeacon at the facility. Furthermore, if the squadron members move toofar away from the location or it has been too long since they checkedin, they will be “checked out” (which is just moved back to accepted)and be required to check in at the location again before the deal can beredeemed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a geo-fence is disposed relative to the offeror'sbusiness which could be a bar, restaurant, movie theatre, etc., but the“geo-fence” is created around the mobile user. As used herein,“geo-fence” does not imply that an action in the squadron application istriggered when crossing the proximity boundary. Instead, in oneembodiment of the invention, a user's location is checked based onexplicit actions of the user (e.g., opening the app, attempting to checkin). In this embodiment, explicit actions made by the user result in thelocation being updated. Then and thereafter, the results of futureactions are based on the most recently updated location values.

In one embodiment which find deals within a certain distance of themobile user and to be able to sort by radius, two longitudes andlatitudes are calculated that are around the user's position to form asort of box or fence. Then, the businesses which fall into that area ofhave their distances calculated using for example the Vincenty formulaand their deals are eligible to be shown. The size of the geo-fence willbe dynamically set by the SQUADRON backend services and it will usetechnologies such as GPS, Bluetooth Proximity, WiFi proximity, CellTower ID & SNR, Smartphone location services, etc. to verify thelocation of the SQUADRON users.

In the flow chart of FIG. 2, an algorithm of the SQUADRON invention isdetailed. The basic algorithm may include the following procedures:

-   -   1. A squadron member selects a deal and then invites a number of        other potential members between the minimum and maximum allowed        by the deal.    -   2. The squadron members may receive a notification that they        have been invited to a squad (not guaranteed since they can have        notifications disabled). If the squadron members do not receive        a notification, the squadron members can ask to be invited to a        squad the next time the app is opened.    -   3. Their squadron invite status is pending until the squadron        members accept or reject the invite. If rejected, the whole        squad is rejected. In one embodiment, every invitee (so not the        leader) must accept the deal before the squadron process moves        to the accepted state. In one embodiment, every invitee must        also check in at the location as described above before the        squad deal can be redeemed.    -   4. In one embodiment, the squadron deal can only be redeemed        when within the deals redemption time, every squad member has        accepted and checked in, and the squad leader is at the location        and pressed redeem. In one embodiment, a minimum number must be        “invited” to activate the deal and move it into pending mode.        However, a minimum number must be “present” at the business        facility to redeem the deal. For example, if a deal that        requires 4-8 squad members, and a squad of 6 people is formed.        All 6 people must be there (even though the deal minimum is 4)        before the deal can be redeemed. Also, in one embodiment of the        invention, squadron members are never checked in passively, the        squadron members must explicitly check in by pressing a button.

This algorithm shown in FIG. 2 is executable by way of one or moreprograms installed in the squadron coordinating server or installed inthe user mobile or receiving devices, for example depicted in FIG. 1 andin communication between each other for example by internet.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, at step A—a optional power management/gatestep is employed.

-   -   At step B—obtain the location of recipients by using location        services, GPS, or the squadron users' mobile devices.    -   At step C—does the location match location of offering?        Basically, is the recipient within the geo-fence established by        the CS around the offeror's business?    -   At step D—Is the number of invited contacts accepting the        squadron promotion equal to or greater than a minimum number of        recipients? Basically, are enough members of the squadron        physically present inside of the geo-fence and checked-in” ?    -   At step E—provide “coupon ode” or otherwise enable deal        redemption.

In the process schematic of FIG. 3, details of alternative ways todetect proximity of a squadron user to the offeror's place of businessare shown. In a preferred embodiment, at A, GPS latitude/longitudedetermines the location of the mobile or receiving user devices and ifthese devices are in close proximity to the business offering thepromotion. The latitude/longitude is sent to the CS and computations aredone there. Related computations done by the mobile devices includeshowing the user the distance from the deal being displayed. At thecoordinating server, the GPS latitude/longitude at C can be computed byusing the latitude/longitude transferred via Communication Means (celltower, OD WiFi/bluetooth) to the squadron coordinating server.

As an alternative, the user RDs detect a signal from a low rangewireless device such as bluetooth beacon or from (E) the WiFi orbluetooth used by the offeror's device. The RDs transfer the informationto the (F) cell tower or via the WiFi or bluetooth (G) of the OD.

As an alternative, WiFi, bluetooth or IR optical link of OD can be usedvia path (G) to directly detect the presence of RDs.

As an alternative, the RDs communicate with each other via (H) low rangewireless devices such as bluetooth, WiFi, IR optical data links, etc.The RD then transfers the information to the cell tower (I) or to the ODvia WiFi or bluetooth (J).

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart depicting a create deal schematicalgorithm. In one embodiment, the deal creation process starts withbusiness partner logging in to their portal on squadron website andentering deal information such as title, squad size, featured image,etc. Once all of that information is entered and submitted to thecoordinating server, upon validation, the deal will get queued forreview and the business partner will see a status of pending on theirdeal. Upon approval or rejection, the status will get updated on thatsite. The decision tree shown in FIG. 4 is merely exemplary of how adeal is created.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart depicting a review deal schematicalgorithm. In one embodiment, an administrative member of the squadronteam will login to the admin website. There the administrative memberwill see all pending deals from the business partners and will have theopportunity to approve or reject deals. Should the administrative memberdecide to reject a deal, he/she may choose to provide a reason whichwill be shown to the business partner who created the deal. The decisiontree shown in FIG. 5 is merely exemplary of how a deal is reviewed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart depicting a create squad schematicalgorithm. In one embodiment, when a squadron user logs in on theirmobile device, the application will send the mobile device filters tothe coordinating server and obtain the corresponding deals for themobile device of the user. If that user decides to move forward with onedeal, the user will select the deal, press for example Squad Up buttonand upload their contacts to the coordinating server. The coordinatingserver then responds with those contacts who have already joined thesquadron application (and thus can be a part of the squadron at thattime). Once the user selects the minimum number of other/secondarymobile squadron users from their contacts, that list will get sent tothe coordinating server and the coordinating server will validate thedata and attempt to create a new squadron. Upon success, a pushnotification will get sent to every secondary invitee to let thosemembers know that they are now a part of this squadron. The decisiontree shown in FIG. 6 is merely exemplary of how a squad is created.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart depicting an accept squad requestschematic algorithm. In one embodiment, in order to accept a squadrequest, a squadron user must be logged in and request a list of theirpending invites from the coordinating server. Upon receiving that listand accepting each of the invites, the user will notify the coordinatingserver of this decision and after validation on the server they will geta confirmation on their action. If that acceptance was the last one in asquadron (i.e. if all other users have already accepted) then thecoordinating server will set the squad state to accepted and send a pushnotification to all users to let them know about this acceptance. Thedecision tree shown in FIG. 7 is merely exemplary of how a squadinvitation is accepted.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart depicting a reject squad schematicalgorithm. In one embodiment, in order to reject a squad request, alogged in user will first get a list of their pending invites from thecoordinating server. Upon rejecting one of those invites, the user willnotify the coordinating server of this action and the coordinatingserver will validate their response. If the response is valid, theentire Squad state is set to rejected and a notification is sent to allmembers to let them know about this rejection. The decision tree shownin FIG. 8 is merely exemplary of how a squad invitation is rejected.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart depicting a check in schematicalgorithm. In one embodiment, when a squadron user wants to check in,that member of the squadron must first be logged in and then must askfor a list of the squads, in which the user is a member of and the stateof which is set to accepted. Upon selecting one of those squads andtapping “check-in,” the user's phone will get their location and providethe coordinating server with the coordinates of the user (and optionallya time stamp). Once that information is validated, that user's state isset to checked-in. The decision tree shown in FIG. 9 is merely exemplaryof how a squad is checked in

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart depicting a redeem schematic algorithm.In one embodiment, in order to redeem a deal, the primary mobile usermust be logged in to the squadron app. The primary mobile user mustfirst request a list of their Squads from the coordinating server andthen select one squad in which all members/invitees have accepted andchecked-in to the business location. Once the primary mobile user tapsredeem, their phone will get their exact latitude and longitude andupdate the CS with that information along with the rest of the redeemrequest. Once the coordinating server has validated all the info, itwill set the Squad state to redeemed and save the redeem time forcountdown. The decision tree shown in FIG. 10 is merely exemplary of howa squad invitation is redeemed.

Thus, the invention in one embodiment related to load-load levelingprovides a method/system/process to load-level buyer demand for exampleat non-peak hours by facilitating real-time couponing/incentive offersto a target group of likely acceptance, self-reinforcing buyers, thesteps (or process) executed in this method or by this system include:

a) Offeror enters info into the offeror's device describing anincentive/discount offering where the description includes minimumnumber of recipients required to make an offer bona fide, time ofoffering, place of offering, type of incentive discount, or otherpertinent information or announcements.

b) The communications server(s) routes an offer to identified recipientswhere routing can be based on and sorted by recipient's notedpreferences.

c) The recipient using the recipient's device reviews the offering,optionally from a multiplicity of offers.

d) The recipient using an input device/means of the recipient device canaccept the offering or reject the offering, and where the communicationsserver(s) alert others, who are in the recipient's contact list, (i.e.Squadron members) of recipients' acceptance (and optionally recipient'spreferred time to meet to redeem the offer), and the alerted Squadronmembers optionally accepts the Offer, whereby the communicationsserver(s) communicate that information amongst the Squadron members inorder to gain consensus of acceptance.

e) At the time of offering, a determination is made of sufficientproximity of recipient to the offeror's business location, the point ofsale/point of purchase (POS) and the communications server(s) orofferor's device collect proximity information from the recipient'sdevice (or the recipient's devices may communicate with one another) andcalculate their distance to offeror's device or POS.

f) If proximity information indicates that the minimum number ofrecipients required to make an offer bona fide are in proximity toofferor's POS, then the communications server(s) enable the redemptionof the offer by the recipient(s).

g) A recipient redeems the offer by using personal computing device orcommunications server(s) to provide at least one of code, redemptioninstruction, bar code, RF communication to offeror, offerors device, orofferor's POS terminal and recipient receives incentive/discount ofoffering.

Computer-Implementation

In various embodiments of the invention, there is provided variouscomputer implemented systems, receiving devices, and servers forimplementing the squadron application, and carrying out the squadroncommunications described above. Such computer system can include acentral processing unit (CPU) or processor having a storage medium onwhich specifically programmed code is stored in executable form so theabove-noted functions of the squadron application can be executed.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer system 1201 for implementing variousembodiments of the invention. The computer system 1201 may be used toperform any or all of the functions described above for the squadronapplication operating in the user mobile or receiving devices, theSQUADRON coordinating server, or the backend squadron computations. Inparticular embodiments, the computer system 1201 permits any one or moreof the following implementations to be programed at the user mobile orreceiving devices, the squadron coordinating server, or the backendsquadron server:

-   -   1) Create a business-side website that allows businesses to        register and publish deals/promotions/announcements that are        stored in a database.    -   2) Create an administrative-side website (via a backend server)        that allows coordinators to approve or reject        deals/promotions/announcements that are being published by        businesses.    -   3) Create iOS and Android applications that communicate with the        backend server via Application Programming Interface (API) and        has features of a typical social media application (login,        profile, menus, etc.).    -   4) Use native Operating System methods for each platform to get        access to user location using GPS.    -   5) Use native OS methods to get access to users contact list.    -   6) Retrieve and show a list of deals from the backend server.    -   7) Send the user's contact list to the backend server and        receive a sub-list of those who are squadron users.    -   8) Allow a user to assemble a squadron from their contacts for a        chosen deal and send squadron info to the backend server    -   9) Notify the user about the status of their squadron based on        real-time info using push notifications.    -   10) When a squadron member presses check-in (or when they open        the app after all members have accepted the deal) retrieve a        user's geographical location and send to the backend server to        receive permission to let the user to “check-in” to the business        facility. Any member may check-in ahead of other members.        -   a. As an alternative to this proximity detection, utilize a            Bluetooth device (beacons) located in the business facility,        -   b. utilize QR/Bar Codes or some other visual means printed            or displayed at a facility,        -   c. Use Near Field Communication (NFC) tags to detect the            entrance of the user to a facility.    -   11—When the minimum number of recipients accept offer, designate        offer as in “pending” state which means it is ready to be        redeemed (note that the squadron is in the pending state when        created and all invited users must accept before it is moved to        the accepted state, or before it can be redeemed if all users        have checked in),    -   12—Retrieve time duration to show deal in redeeming state and        allow user to redeem by pressing the redeem button.    -   13—From a back-end perspective, utilize an IaaS service which        provides computing infrastructure, physical or (quite often)        virtual machines and other resources like virtual-machine disk        image library, block and file-based storage, firewalls, load        balancers, IP addresses, virtual local area networks etc from        providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accomplish the        following:        -   1. Setup a server/serverless structure to handle incoming            application programing interface (API) requests,        -   2. Setup a database to store user, business, deal            information, etc.,        -   3. Setup mechanisms to send text, email, push notifications            to users,        -   4. Using pseudo code and the Vincenty formula below,            approximate the distance from latitude1,longitude1 (user) to            latitude2,longitude2 (point of purchase) for verifying user            proximity to point of purchase:

69 * degrees(  atan2(   sqrt(   pow(cos(radians(lat2))*sin(radians(lon2−lon1)),2) +   pow(cos(radians(lat1))*sin(radians(lat2)) −   (sin(radians(lat1))*cos(radians(lat2)) *    cos(radians(lon2−lon1))),2)),   sin(radians(lat1))*sin(radians(lat2)) +  cos(radians(lat1))*cos(radians(lat2))*cos(radians(lon2−lon1))))

-   -   -   5. Attain user location over time (e.g. if the user checked            in an hour ago to the point of purchase, they must            re-check-in before redeeming becomes available) and the deal            redemption must take place within the duration of the deal        -   6. Respond to the API calls for deal redemption and maintain            actuarial data regarding how many deals were redeemed and by            who and when

To accomplish these and other implementations of the invention,components of computer system 1201 when utilized in one or more of theuser mobile or receiving devices, the squadron coordinating server, orthe backend squadron server may (as needed) include a bus 1202 or othercommunication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor1203 coupled with the bus 1202 for processing the information. Thecomputer system 1201 also includes a main memory 1204, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device (e.g., dynamic RAM(DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), and synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)), coupled to thebus 1202 for storing information and instructions to be executed byprocessor 1203. In addition, the main memory 1204 may be used forstoring temporary variables or other intermediate information during theexecution of instructions by the processor 1203. The computer system1201 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 1205 or other staticstorage device (e.g., programmable read only memory (PROM), erasablePROM (EPROM), and electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM)) coupled to thebus 1202 for storing static information and instructions for theprocessor 1203.

The computer system 1201 may also include a disk controller 1206 coupledto the bus 1202 to control one or more storage devices for storinginformation and instructions, such as a magnetic hard disk 1207, and aremovable media drive 1208 (e.g., floppy disk drive, read-only compactdisc drive, read/write compact disc drive, compact disc jukebox, tapedrive, and removable magneto-optical drive). The storage devices may beadded to the computer system 1201 using an appropriate device interface(e.g., small computer system interface (SCSI), integrated deviceelectronics (IDE), enhanced-IDE (E-IDE), direct memory access (DMA), orultra-DMA).

The computer system 1201 may also include special purpose logic devices(e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or configurablelogic devices (e.g., simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complexprogrammable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs)).

The computer system 1201 may also include a display controller 1209coupled to the bus 1202 to control a display, such as a cathode ray tube(CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. The computersystem includes input devices, such as a keyboard and a pointing device,for interacting with a computer user and providing information to theprocessor 1203. The pointing device, for example, may be a mouse, atrackball, or a pointing stick for communicating direction informationand command selections to the processor 1203 and for controlling cursormovement on the display.

The computer system 1201 can perform a portion or all of the processingsteps (or functions) of this invention in response to the processor 1203executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained ina memory, such as the main memory 1204. Such instructions may be readinto the main memory 1204 from another computer readable medium, such asa hard disk 1207 or a removable media drive 1208. One or more processorsin a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute thesequences of instructions contained in main memory 1204. In alternativeembodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions. Thus, embodiments are notlimited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

As stated above, the computer system 1201 may include at least onecomputer readable medium or memory for holding instructions programmedaccording to the teachings of the invention and for containing datastructures, tables, records, or other data described herein for theexecution of the operations noted above. Examples of computer readablemedia are compact discs, hard disks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-opticaldisks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM, flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or anyother magnetic medium, compact discs (e.g., CD-ROM), or any otheroptical medium, punch cards, paper tape, or other physical medium withpatterns of holes, a carrier wave (described below), or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media, theinvention includes software for controlling the computer system 1201,for driving a device or devices for implementing the invention, and forenabling the computer system 1201 to interact with a human user. Suchsoftware may include, but is not limited to, device drivers, operatingsystems, development tools, and applications software. Such computerreadable media further includes the computer program product of theinvention for performing all or a portion (if processing is distributed)of the processing performed in implementing the invention.

The computer code devices of the invention may be any interpretable orexecutable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts,interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs), Java classes, andcomplete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of theinvention may be distributed for better performance, reliability, and/orcost.

The term “computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to the processor 1203 forexecution. A computer readable medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical, magneticdisks, and magneto-optical disks, such as the hard disk 1207 or theremovable media drive 1208. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, suchas the main memory 1204. Transmission media includes coaxial cables,copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that make up the bus1202. Transmission media also may also take the form of acoustic orlight waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared datacommunications.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying outone or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 1203 forexecution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on amagnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions for implementing all or a portion of the invention remotelyinto a dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone lineusing a modem. A modem local to the computer system 1201 may receive thedata on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convertthe data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupled to the bus1202 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and place thedata on the bus 1202. The bus 1202 carries the data to the main memory1204, from which the processor 1203 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by the main memory 1204 mayoptionally be stored on storage device 1207 or 1208 either before orafter execution by processor 1203.

The computer system 1201 also includes a communication interface 1213which may be coupled to the bus 1202. The communication interface 1213can provide a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 1214that is connected to, for example, a local area network (LAN) 1215, orto another communications network 1216 such as the Internet. Forexample, the communication interface 1213 may be a network interfacecard to attach to any packet switched LAN. As another example, thecommunication interface 1213 may be an asymmetrical digital subscriberline (ADSL) card, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card ora modem to provide a data communication connection to a correspondingtype of communications line. Wireless links may also be implemented. Inany such implementation, the communication interface 1213 sends andreceives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carrydigital data streams representing various types of information.

The network link 1214 typically provides data communication through oneor more networks to other data devices (e.g. to other user mobilereceiving devices). For example, the network link 1214 may provide aconnection to another computer through equipment operated by a serviceprovider, which provides communication services through a communicationsnetwork 1216. The local network 1214 and the communications network 1216(between for example backend servers or between coordinating servers)may use, for example, electrical, electromagnetic, or optical signalsthat carry digital data streams, and the associated physical layer(e.g., CAT 5 cable, coaxial cable, optical fiber, etc). The signalsthrough the various networks and the signals on the network link 1214and through the communication interface 1213, which carry the digitaldata to and from the computer system 1201 maybe implemented in basebandsignals, or carrier wave based signals. The baseband signals convey thedigital data as unmodulated electrical pulses that are descriptive of astream of digital data bits, where the term “bits” is to be construedbroadly to mean symbol, where each symbol conveys at least one or moreinformation bits. The digital data may also be used to modulate acarrier wave, such as with amplitude, phase and/or frequency shift keyedsignals that are propagated over a conductive media, or transmitted aselectromagnetic waves through a propagation medium. Thus, the digitaldata may be sent as unmodulated baseband data through a “wired”communication channel and/or sent within a predetermined frequency band,different than baseband, by modulating a carrier wave. The computersystem 1201 can transmit and receive data, including program code,through the network(s) 1215 and 1216, the network link 1214, and thecommunication interface 1213. Moreover, the network link 1214 mayprovide a connection through a LAN 1215 to a mobile device 1217 such asa personal digital assistant (PDA) laptop computer, or cellulartelephone.

Numerous modifications and variations of the invention are possible inlight of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood thatwithin the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein.

1. A system to provide directed communication exchange between mobilereceiving devices of a squadron including a squadron leader and one ormore squadron members, the system comprising: a coordinating server incommunication with the mobile receiving devices, said coordinatingserver programmed to: receive a first data stream including a broadcastmessage, transmit a second data stream including a list of announcementsto a first mobile receiving device belonging to a squadron leader,receive a third data stream from the first mobile receiving deviceincluding a selected announcement which was selected by the squadronleader on a display of the first mobile receiving device, transmit in afourth data stream the selected announcement to a second mobilereceiving device of a potential member for the squadron; receive a fifthdata stream from the second mobile receiving device indicative of thepotential member comprising a squadron member, determine that thesquadron leader and the one or more squadron members are within aboundary of an enterprise associated with the selected announcement, andtransmit in a sixth data stream a verification that the squadron is atthe enterprise.